women give more

Women across nearly every income level gave significantly more to charity than men, nearly twice as much in some cases, according to a study by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Nonprofits have long suspected that women were the driving forces behind many of the gifts they receive, but they haven't had much proof. But the results of this study are so decisive and consistent, they can stop wondering, said Debra Mesch, director of the university's Women's Philanthropy Institute.

karaoke

Found this site called karaokeplay. Where people can record and save and display their karaoke performances. Came across this one rather good singer called dreamrose. She could probably make the early cut on American Idol. There's probably some other good ones too. Haven't found a really bad one yet.

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Fun karaoke at Cafe Duck Butt

Beside She-Bangs, we can add Joy To The World, Without You, All By Myself.

Limbaugh, Obama, Palin cousins

Rush Limbaugh calls President Barack Obama "imam," even though he knows the president isn't a Muslim. Sarah Palin has openly doubted the president's courage.

Turns out these two conservative firebrands have been dissin' their own cousin.

The online genealogy service Ancestry.com reports that Obama and Palin are 10th cousins, and Obama and Limbaugh are 10th cousins once removed. In both cases, the ties date to the 1600s.

Obama's distant family ties to former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney surfaced during his presidential campaign. Obama also is a distant cousin of billionaire investor Warren Buffett and actor Brad Pitt, according to Ancestry.com.

Anastasia Tyler, lead genealogist on the latest project, said in an interview: "It just shows how all of these politicians, they're on different sides of the political spectrum, but in the end they're all part of what makes America great, and they all go back to deep American roots."

Tom Bosley

It was a constant in American television for more than a decade: Viewers could turn on their TVs and find Howard Cunningham in his armchair, reading the newspaper and providing a fatherly voice of reason to young Richie Cunningham and his friends on "Happy Days."

Tom Bosley made the role famous during the long-running sitcom, earning a place as one of the most memorable fathers in TV history.

Bosley died Tuesday at the age of 83 after suffering heart failure at a hospital near his Palm Springs home. Bosley's agent, Sheryl Abrams, said he was also battling lung cancer.

His death brought fond remembrances of the nostalgic ABC show, which ran from 1974 to 1984. On Saturday, TV viewers lost another surrogate parent, Barbara Billingsley, who portrayed June Cleaver in "Leave It To Beaver."

Both shows showcased life in the 1950s — before Vietnam, Watergate and other tumultuous events of the '60s and '70s — when life was simpler.

"Kids were watching their parents grow up, and parents were watching themselves grow up. And that was the key to success of that show," Bosley said in a 2000 interview.

TV Guide ranked Bosley's Howard Cunningham character at No. 9 on its list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" in 2004. The distinction puts "Mr. C," as his character was affectionately known on the show, right alongside Ward Cleaver, Andy Taylor, Dr. Huxtable and Mike Brady as some of the best-ever TV dads.

"Tom's insight, talent, strength of character and comic timing made him a vital central figure in the 'Happy Days' experience. A great father and husband, and a wonderful artist, Tom led by example, and made us all laugh while he was doing it," said a statement from Ron Howard, who played Richie Cunningham.

"My last conversations with Tom reflected the love of life and peace of mind that he always maintained throughout his full and rewarding life. I miss him already," Howard said.

Which Services Don't You Want?

There’s been a lot of talk recently about the size of government - recently, in this case, meaning since about, oh, 1776. Today’s Tea Party folks seem to think that big, bloated government is the root of all that ails us. President Obama seems to think that there is no problem too big (or small) for government to fix.

This may, in fact, be the longest running debate in the United States: What exactly is the role of government in our lives, what services do we want it to provide and how much do we want to pay for it? Because once you have a Constitution and 27 amendments to it, the first 10 of which comprise our Bill of Rights, you assume a government to protect and enforce those rights - in short, to govern.

The subject of government size and reach most recently came up in the debate over health care and health insurance. I recall one anti-Obama guy shouting at a person in a wheelchair at an Ohio rally, “Health care is not a right!”

And I wondered: What about public education - is that a right?

Good roads and street lights? Bike paths?

Clean running water? Health and sanitation - garbage collection and landfills? Flu vaccines?

Public safety - cops, fire-fighters and EMTs? Jails and prisons?

Tsunami and hurricane warning systems?

Parks and pools? Libraries?

Airports and harbors? Sewage treatment?

Bus service?

A train?

Where do we draw the line? And at what point exactly does government get “too big”?

letting go -- of comic books

Jose Alaniz spent about a week sorting and packing each comic book — carefully, lovingly. There were 12 boxes of them, comics he'd collected since his mother bought him his first one at age 6.

He took time to look through them all. The Defenders. The Incredible Hulk. The Mighty Thor. Spider-Man. Each of them, even the bad ones, meant something to him.

And now here he was, preparing to let them go to the special collections at the University of Washington libraries.

Alaniz knows some would consider it silly that a 42-year-old man should be so attached to bits of paper and ink, books never really meant to last that long. A professor at the university, he sounds a bit apologetic for what he can only describe as his own sappiness (not an easy thing for a serious, somewhat nerdy academic to embrace).

Still, though he would soften the blow by keeping 10 of his most prized comic books, it would not be easy to let go.

speaking of Gandhi

As a 12-year-old boy growing up in Georgia, William T. Randall despised the Japanese for attacking Pearl Harbor. But when Mahatma Gandhi won independence for India through nonviolent protest two years later, his view started to change.

Randall, a retired minister and professor, will be among the speakers next Saturday for Gandhi's birthday and the International Day of Nonviolence.

The program is being organized by Raj Kumar, founder and president of Gandhi International Institute for Peace, based in Honolulu, and the Indian-American Friendship Council.

Randall says he was profoundly influenced by Mohandas Gandhi, assassinated in 1948 after leading India to independence after two centuries of British rule. Gandhi, known as mahatma or "saint," pioneered the concept of "satyagraha" -- resistance to tyranny through peaceful noncooperation.

Randall will speak on how his views on the use of violence changed since he was taught as a youngster to hate wartime foes.

As a Christian missionary in Japan, he said, he developed respect for and an understanding of its people.

"I learned very acutely that to harbor revenge would only divide and separate," he said.

Gandhi believed "nonviolence needs more courage than violence," says Kumar. "He advised people not to fight in the name of God and religion. He emphasized that God does not belong to one society, religion or nation. God dwells in the heart of all human beings. Gandhi said, If you wish to see change in the world, change yourself. When we change, the world changes."

The community is invited to the International Day of Nonviolence celebration from 10 a.m. to noon next Saturday near the Mahatma Gandhi statue outside the Honolulu Zoo in Waikiki. E-mail Raj Kumar at rkumarhi@yahoo.com or visit www.gandhianpeace.com.